Safehouse
by Rach Llama
Summary: Shelter sometimes is found in the most unexpected of places... (Sirius-OC, Remus-OC) - AU - Complete
1. Part 1

**Prerequisite: **PS, CoS, PoA

**A brief bit of explanation before we begin our tale: **This takes place a few weeks after Sirius flees from Hogwarts with Buckbeak.

**Standard disclaimer: **I do not own the characters or the situations of the characters you recognise from Harry Potter. I do, however, claim the Pack and their witty repartee. Seregwen, Ainaguar, and Ciara belong to the real Triumvirate of Doom because, yes, we are real people. Just not real preternatural creatures, no matter how we frighten people.

**Now we commence our tale:**

_**Safehouse**_

_Dear Snuffles,_

_A safe house has been opened to you. The Irish Black Heart has agreed to hide you until such time as a way out of England becomes readily available._

_Albus Dumbledore_

-----  
  
It was a dark and stormy night and the house was creaking in protest to the high winds that ripped through the soaked sky. Ciara Bryant sat at the old servants' table in her ancestral family home, a mug of cocoa steaming before her and a book under her nose. The room was cold for a summer's night, and she had draped a woollen shawl about her shoulders to retain some of her body warmth. Having arrived two days ago from the steamy warmth of South Texas, she had not yet adjusted to the chills of damp Kent and every so often, she would shiver as a puff of air would send shudders down her spine. At her feet, a small beagle lay dozing on her stomach, her eyes moving in tandem with her dream. The kitchen itself was modest for a residence of its size. Only the bare essentials for cooking remained from Ciara's cleaning frenzy. She had removed everything that looked remotely Dark in nature, including kitchen appliances and utensils. The idea of something from her family remaining frightened her beyond words: the very temptation of having that power over another back in her hands. So, the house was stripped of its past and Ciara felt at ease again. Of course, it could have also been the recording of the Irish harp playing in the background accompanied by the recorded sounds of a fresh Irish morning.

There was a flash of lightning, and Ciara jumped. Such bursts of light had always startled her, since the First War against the Dark Lord. She would instead see hexes and curses flying at her and memories would flood-'No,' she murmured firmly, slamming mental shields against her past._BANG!_ She leapt to her feet, her book flying across the room and her wand before her, ready to attack. There were no noises following but the sounds of the storm; the beagle had woken from her nap and was staring sleepily at her mistress. Ciara heaved a nervous sigh and shook her head.'Merlin, I hate England...' she told the dog, who blinked slowly and returned to her nap. Ciara sat back down in her chair and summoned her book to her hand. No sooner had she pulled the shawl about her again did a great bark come from outside the door.She yelped and jumped up again, this time to open the door. On the porch stood a massive black shaggy dog, dripping wet and holding the lead to-'A hippogriff?!' she exclaimed, eyeing the creature in surprise. The black dog looked up at her expectantly, as if saying, 'Get over it.'The beagle, awake at the new scents, pushed past her owner and began to eagerly sniff at the black dog.  
'Sally!' Ciara scolded, picking up and holding the squirming dog under her arm. 'Sorry, Padfoot, she's still just a whelp.' She turned and put Sally behind her. 'Come in, come in...' she said opening the door wide for the hippogriff to pass. When the door shut, Padfoot changed into Sirius Black, the evidently newly escaped convict from Azkaban. He still wore the robes he'd had for 13 years, his hair was still filthy and matted from negligence, and his eyes were dark from the horrors of Dementors. If his appearance shocked Ciara, she didn't show it. She instead bowed to the hippogriff, which bowed in return, then took the lead and led him to the parlour.In her absence, the beagle returned, sniffing at Sirius' leg, then reaching up to put her paws on his thigh. Sirius gave the pup a small smile and scratched her head. She panted in acceptance, her tail wagging back and forth quickly.'She's a bit friendly, in case you didn't notice,' Ciara said from the doorway. Sirius looked up at her, and an awkward silence descended. Sirius studied her face as she looked at anywhere but him.'I...If you want to clean up, I can get a bath ready...' Ciara stammered nervously.Sirius smiled at the thought. 'Make it toasty warm.'Ciara grinned and turned to head to the bathroom, calling Sally to follow her.  
Alone again, Sirius looked around curiously. Along every counter were pictures by the dozens. He moved in closer for a better inspection. It was like a play: there were 11 main characters that he could discern. Ciara, of course, was in many pictures, as was Remus. He recognised two others, a tall woman with jet-black hair and almond brown eyes, seen mostly close to Remus._Very close_, Sirius thought with a grin. Faintly, he could remember seeing her around before his capture. She was a werewolf in service of a vampire, the same vampire seen throughout many of the pictures. She was rather short, with curly brown hair and eyes that danced in dark mirth. He recalled that her smile was always coy and coaxing towards him in the past, but in the photos, she was just happy.'Do you remember Seregwen and Ainaguar?' Ciara asked over his shoulder. He whipped around in surprise and she took a step back, her smile wide.'Woman! Don't scare a man like that!' he exclaimed.Ciara laughed, a pleasant sound to him that he could barely remember from all those years ago. 'Go get cleaned up, you pig,' she giggled. Sirius put the picture down and headed out the door, muttering about Irish women, when he hesitated.'Um...Where's the water closet again?' he asked, looking over his shoulder.'Oh!' Ciara blushed in embarrassment. 'Follow me.'She led him out of the kitchen, grabbing his hand as she passed. A small warmth filled Sirius's chest at the unquestioned contact. She passed through a maze of rooms, pausing slightly to let him reassure the hippogriff's comfort in front of a fire, to a magnificent bathroom with gilded finishing and a tub filled with steaming water and surrounded by candles.'You don't have to light the candles if you don't want to,' Ciara said. 'I just use them to unwind.' She disappeared for a moment, returning with towels fit for a king. She placed them on a rack near the tub and faced him again. 'Just...call if you need anything,' she murmured before leaving. As she was closing the door, she cursed and stuck her head back in. 'Give me a sec, and I'll go get some of Jack's robes for you,' she said with a sheepish smile. Sirius stood in the middle of the room, unsure of what to do. Ciara returned quickly, carrying a bundle of cloth. 'They're Muggle clothes, but I daresay they're comfortable.'Sirius nodded in acknowledgement and approached her, taking her hand. 'Thank you,' he said gruffly.Ciara smiled and shrugged. With a swift kiss on his dirt-covered cheek, she whispered, 'I've never forgotten you all these years.' In a breath, she was gone, leaving him alone to wash Azkaban away.-----Nearly an hour later, Sirius emerged from the bathroom, feeling much better for the wear. The clothes he wore sagged a bit on his skeletal frame and his hair was still in a tangled mess hanging to his elbows. He looked in a mirror in the corridor and flinched at the sight. The mirror only shrieked and said if he didn't get a haircut soon, he'd be overwhelmed in fur. He muttered selected curses and walked to the kitchen. Inside, Ciara was wrapped up in her book and shawl again, and the storm continued to rage outside. The harp continued to play faintly around the room and Sirius finally saw the source of the music. It was a black box that he had seen Muggles using to play music all the time. He heard singing beginning to accompany the harp, and he realised that it was coming from Ciara. The tune was familiar, but he couldn't think of the title. Fascinated, Sirius leaned against the doorway to listen.  
_  
I wish, I wish, I wish in vain  
I wish I had my heart again  
And vainly think I'd not complain  
Is go dté tú mo mhúirnín slán  
  
Siúil, siúil, siúil a rúin  
Siúil go sochair agus siúil a ciúin  
Siúil go doras agus éalaigh liom  
Is go dté tú mo mhúirnín slán  
  
But now my love has gone to France  
To try his fortune to –  
_  
Ciara's head snapped up as she sensed his eyes on her. A dark blush graced her face as she put her book down.'I...didn't hear you come in...' she stammered in surprise. Sirius chuckled at her and entered the room fully.'I don't seem to recall that song,' he said innocently.'Um...' Ciara hesitated, looking around nervously. 'It's Siúil a Rúin...'Sirius raised an eyebrow. 'Which is...?'Ciara swallowed hard. 'An Irish love song.''You're embarrassed. Why?''I...I've got a terrible singing voice, very strained and too boring,' she said.  
Sirius's response was pre-empted by his stomach, which protested its empty state loudly.'Oh, Merlin, look at me!' Ciara exclaimed, jumping to her feet. 'Here, sit down, I'll get something for you to eat.' She began to scramble around the kitchen, putting together a plate of all kinds of foods. With a quick warming charm, she placed the plate before Sirius, who began to promptly devour the meal. Calmed a bit by his obvious approval of her cooking, she conjured a mug of cocoa and put it in his path of destruction.'I really should have shrunken these clothes a bit,' she said, picking at the baggy shirt. 'I didn't think that Jack had been that much bigger than you...''Who's Jack?' Sirius asked, his mouth full.Ciara half-smiled. 'Moony.''How'd you get "Jack" out of "Remus"?''We didn't. We got it from his middle name. He wouldn't tell us what it was, so I declared it Jack and it's stayed that way since.''We?''Sere, Aina, and I.''...I don't remember them.''They joined the Order in '79, right after we did.''Oh.'Silence descended again as Sirius finished up the food. Without a sound, Ciara summoned a brush to her and began to sweep through the long mess in front of her. Sirius leaned back in his chair and revelled in having another human's touch. After nearly 10 minutes of brushing, she was finished and she picked up his plate to clean up. He only remained leaning back in his chair, half-asleep in the warmth of contentment.With a smile, she placed a hand on his shoulder. 'I think it's time someone went to bed,' she said in her best baby voice.Sirius swatted at her playfully and she dodged with a laugh as he stood up. 'Come on, Mister I'm-too-good-for-Azkaban, let's get you to bed.'Her comment seemed to make him freeze. Fear paralyzed his heart at the mention of his Hell on Earth. Ciara quickly understood her faux pas and moved to take his elbow. She said nothing; she simply offered her comfort in the form of a hand on his back. Roughly, he pulled her into his arms and held her, reassuring himself that he was indeed not alone, that there was someone with him and that Azkaban was now just a bad dream.'Shhhhhhh mo rún...shhhhhh, tá mé seo... '(1)she whispered as she stroked his trembling back.'Don't leave me alone,' he begged. 'I don't want to be alone.'Ciara smiled, more in comfort for herself. 'I'm here. C'mon, let's get you to bed, love.'She gently took him to the room she had prepared for him and tucked him into bed. He was still trembling badly, so she sat on the bed beside him and smoothed his hair from his face. Quietly, she began to sing the lullaby her step-mother had sung to her when she had been scared of the dark as a child. In moments, sleep had overtaken him, and she disentangled herself from his arms. When he stirred, she leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. 'I'll explain everything to-morrow, love,' she whispered before slipping silently from the room.  
  
1) sshhhhhh my love...shhhhhh, I'm here. 


	2. Part 2

**DISCLAIMER:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.  
**  
**

**Hey Old Man – **

** Thanks for the dog. Sally's glad for the company as am I. Although it might have been prudent to give me a little bit of warning as to the baggage he brought with him. You know how much I love down pillows. Like the Plague. Blech.**

**Your little Irish Black Heart**

-----

À: the fuzzy one, the dead one

Cc: the hairy one

De: the human one

Objet: full moon

Hey all-

I'm thinking we need to make this house shine with love and affection. You know, make it habitable for 'our kind' of people. But I'll give you a warning – Paddy showed up yesterday, just like the geezer said. Give Mom and the pup a warning and MAKE SURE THEY DON'T FLIP OUT. Good lord, we don't need a repeat of last month. ¬¬

Floo's open whenever you want.

Oh, and there's a hippogriff in the parlour. Don't piss it off, pleeeeeeeeease.

-Llama

--

"Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Why the hell do you think

llamas are evil? Sheesh."

-The Llama

-----

To: the human one

From: the hairy one

Subject: Re:full moon

I'll get there to-morrow morning.

Jack

-----

To: nutjob 1, nutjob2

Cc: my beloved

From: the only sane one around here

Subject: Re:full moon

Mom said to tell you we'll be there tonight. Be warned, she's bringing the whole social hub AND enough food for all of us plus some. I hope Paddy still has his old appetite.

A

-----

To: those other people

From: SheTurnedMeIntoaNewt!IGotBetter...

Subject: Re:full moon

OoooO! A party! Can I bring friends?

Hippogriff????? Neatooooooo...

-----

À: the idiot

De: um...

Objet : Re2 :I'll give you one guess

HELL NO. He just got out of Azkaban, he doesn't need your 'friends' around!

--

"Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Why the hell do you think

llamas are evil? Sheesh."

-The Llama

-----

To: Sere

From: Aina

Subject: Re:Re:full moon

NO.

A

-----

Sirius awoke the next morning to the sounds of many people bustling about the house busily and noisily.

'Moooooooom! Why can't I go in the parlour?'

'Pup! Stay outta there!'

'Hey! Someone get back in here and fix these eggs!'

'Where's the loo?'

'Mom! You didn't answer my question!'

'There's a monster in there, Julie. Now go play outside.'

'I don't wanna!'

'Pup, go outside and find a gnome to torture.'

'You stay outta this, meanie head!'

'Meanie head? I'll show you meanie head.'

'AAAAAH!! PUT ME DOWN!!'

'Julie, stop screaming! Sissy Cici and her friend are still asleep! Steve, take her outside and degnome that disgusting yard. SOMEONE GET IN HERE AND FIX THESE DAMN EGGS!'

'I'm up, Mum! I'll come fix 'em in a sec! I just want to check on Sirius first!'

Sirius looked from his pillow to the opening door. The noise level increased significantly as Ciara rushed in and shut the door behind her. She noticed his alert eyes and smiled.

'Sorry about the noise,' she said, moving to sit at the foot of the bed. 'I tried to tell them to keep it down, but it's impossible to keep those people quiet.' She rolled her eyes.

Sirius bit his upper lip and sat up, leaning back against the elaborate headboard. 'Um...who's here?'

'Oh! Our pack.'

'_Our_ pack?'

'Well, aren't you and Jack pack-brothers?'

'...yeah...'

'Then you're already a part of the Marauder Pack, so named after you four terrors in school.'

Sirius scowled. 'Right. The _four_ of us.'

Ciara leaned forward and took his hand. 'We can't change the past, Sirius. We just got to keep plodding on.'

He looked at her in surprise. 'That was surprisingly philosophical for you, Bryant.'

Ciara's eyes darkened and she pulled her hand back quickly. 'I see you haven't forgotten everything as I was lead to believe.'

Sirius shook his head. 'I remember all the bad things.'

'And was I a bad thing?'

'Until 5th year, yes. Past that, I don't know.'

Ciara scrutinized him carefully, then shook her head. 'You'll never change, will you, Black?'

'I guess not. Now, are you going to explain the goings-on out there?'

Ciara looked at him shrewdly. 'What'll you pay to know?'

He winked with a smirk. 'Anything you want, beautiful.'

She rolled her eyes. 'They're our pack. Well, the most social part of it at least. There are a bunch that are more...peripheral members. There's Jean, our den mother. She's the one that's been hollering about the eggs I need to make.'

'Hollering?'

She blushed. 'I've lived in Texas for the last 12 years; I picked up a few phrases here and there. Anyways, her daughter is Julie. She's 7 and acts like it. Oh, and everyone calls her Pup, in case you didn't hear Stephen. Then there's Matt, Mel, Aina and Sere, but she's asleep in the cellar.'

Sirius looked almost overwhelmed. Ciara gave him a reassuring smile. 'Get your robe on and I'll take you to go meet everyone.' She stood up and walked to the door.

'Ciara?' Sirius said quietly.

Ciara looked over her shoulder. 'Yes?'

'Why don't I remember you past fifth year?'

Ciara's face softened even as she roved eyes across the skeletal corpse before her. His hair may have been so long and his face so gaunt, but his eyes, haunted though they were, were lost and scared. She felt pity for him blossom in her heart and she approached him carefully. Without a word, she leaned over and gently brushed her lips against his.

'I'll be waiting in the kitchen for you. You might want to check on your hippogriff before you come in, though.'

-----

When Sirius entered the kitchen, he was almost overwhelmed by the rush of activities going on. At a makeshift stove, Ciara was fully dressed in Muggle jeans and an obviously tailored red button-up shirt and was in the midst of making a huge skillet of scrambled eggs. Behind her at the stone island was a large woman with long blond curls held back by a string. She had an open, friendly face, but from the manner in which she pounded the sausage into the stone, he could tell she had a bit of a temper. Beside her facing the back counter was another large woman, but she was significantly younger. She had light red hair that was almost brown and was just as curly. Her back was to Sirius and he couldn't see what she was doing.

'You must be Sirius,' said a deep voice from his left. At the table set for an enormous group sat a man, no taller than Ciara. He had a lean frame and shoulder-length brown hair that framed an oval face. His eyes were sharp and a miniscule goatee sat just underneath his bottom lip. Sirius felt the man's gaze sweep over him, gauging his weakness, before shooting over towards the approaching Ciara.

'Oh, Sirius, this is Matt,' she said. The man reached out to shake Sirius's hand, and in the moments their hands clasped, Sirius could feel enormous strength.

'I've heard lots about you,' Matt said jovially. His smile was contagious and Sirius could feel the corners of his mouth lifting to smile in return.

'Sirius?' the blonde woman said merrily. 'There you are, dear!' She put the beater down and wiped her hands on a nearby dishtowel. Without preamble, she hurried to Sirius and wrapped him in a tight embrace. 'Welcome home, sweetheart,' she murmured quietly, a thick American accent of some kind bleeding through her voice.

Ciara smirked at Sirius's confusion and said, 'This is Jean, our den mother. She takes care of us when we refuse to do so ourselves.'

Jean looked pointedly at Ciara, then turned back to a slack-jawed Sirius. 'Now,' she said authoritatively, 'Don't you dare go off calling me Jean. I absolutely insist that all my pups call me Mama, allright?'

Sirius nodded mutely. The other cook was waiting for her turn behind Jean.

'This is Mel,' Ciara said. 'She's Mama's protégée.'

Mel gave Sirius a warm smile and a hug as well. 'Welcome home, Padfoot. If you need anything, just ask, ok?' Her accent was just as thick as Jean's.

'Mooooooom!' a tiny red-haired girl said as she burst through the back door. Jean huffed and skirted around Ciara to get to the child.

'Julie Anne Thompson! How many times have I told you to be _careful_ with those gnomes?' she said impatiently, taking Julie's hand and wiping away blood to inspect the wound.

'It was Stephen's fault!' the child screeched as a man entered in her wake. 'He pushed me.'

Jean looked up at the man, who shrugged with a goofy grin. He noticed Sirius and approached him with his hand outstretched. 'Hi, I'm Stephen,' he said, shaking Sirius' hand vigorously. Sirius couldn't help but smile at the man's exuberance. Ciara looked at Matt and the two of them rolled their eyes. 'Hey,' Stephen said, 'What's burning?'

Ciara's eyes went wide and a string of curses flew out of her mouth as she ran back to the eggs and desperately tried to salvage them. Stephen laughed at her antics as Matt said, 'You know I don't like eggs, but you don't have to burn them on my account,' and despite the feeling of being overwhelmed, Sirius joined in. Jean clucked over Julie as Mel chastised Ciara for her language.

'Hey, have a seat,' Stephen said, clapping Sirius genially on the back before taking a seat on the far side of Matt. Sirius looked around a bit nervously, then sat opposite Stephen. 'So, Sirius, you absolutely have to tell us about Jack when he was a kid. He won't tell us a damn thing!'

'For good reason,' Remus Lupin said as he entered from the hallway. He smiled warmly at Sirius. 'Padfoot, glad to see you made it here all right.'

Sirius grinned and waved it off. 'I'm a master at sneaking around undetected. You of all people should know,' he finished with a wink. Remus only laughed and moved to embrace his oldest friend.

Matt pursed his lips. 'You've been cheating on me, haven't you?' he asked in a huff.

Remus only rolled his eyes.

'Oy, enough mush, you two!' Ciara said as she waved her wand over the eggs, transferring them to a serving plate on the island. 'Food time!'

As if by magic, a woman came bounding in the room eagerly with the little beagle under her feet. With a screech, the woman fell down into an unceremonious heap. Everyone burst into laughter as she cursed up a storm at the giddy puppy; Remus hurried to help her up, very gently, Sirius noted.

'Good God, Aina, can't you ever not fall down?' Ciara said with a wink as she rolled up eggs and sausage in some sort of flat bread.

Aina looked up and glowered. 'Shut up, you,' she snarled before rushing to the food. When she reached for a piece of the flat bread, Jean smacked her hand.

'Sirius first!' she scolded and gestured for Sirius to grab a plate. 'Just take a tortilla, baby,' she dumped a piece of flat bread on his plate, 'fill it with what you want, roll it up, and feast!'

Sirius hesitated for a moment, then began to dish up some eggs. Aina glared at Jean, then at the already seated Ciara, who was happily eating. 'How come she didn't get yelled at?!' she demanded angrily.

'What?' Jean looked over at Ciara, who quickly attempted to hide her food and full mouth. 'Ciara Elizabeth Olivia Bryant, what in John Wayne's name are you doing? You knew you were supposed to wait!'

'Whaaaaaaat?' Ciara whined, food muffling the sound. 'I'm hungry!'

'You were supposed to wait!' Ainaguar snapped before quickly grabbing a plate.

'If I had waited,' Ciara swallowed the rest of her food, 'you wouldn't have left any for me!' Matt, Stephen, Mel, and Julie all laughed, causing death glares to be sent their way.

'I don't eat that much!'

'Yes you do!'

'No I don't!'

'You so do too!'

'I so do not! Do I, Jack?'

Remus looked startled to be brought into the argument. 'I, uh....'

'If I remember correctly,' Sirius said, 'you eat far more than is healthy.'

Ainaguar was shocked into spooning nothing onto her tortilla. 'You stay outta this, dog breath!' she admonished. Sirius, however, only noticed the grin Ciara gave him as well as her conspiratorial wink.

'He's got a point, Aina,' she said nonchalantly.

Aina's jaw dropped as she turned towards the table. 'Bitch!' she shot off.

Anger rose in Sirius, but before he could say anything, Ciara replied, 'Slut,' coolly.

'Whore!'

Ciara looked crestfallen. 'Damn.'

'GIRLS!' Jean admonished. 'What have I told you about using that kind of language in front of everyone?'

'Sorry, Mum,' both said in unison. They grinned eerily identical smiles at each other before focusing on their meal.

Sirius, looked at Remus in confusion, but his friend only shrugged in amusement. He finally shrugged it off and turned his attention to his first freshly made home-cooked meal in 12 years.


	3. Part 3

**DISCLAIMER:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

_  
1 November 1981_

_It's over. The war is over. As I write this, my heart breaks. James, my beloved, lively, sweet James, and Lily, my precious loving flower blossom, are dead._

_Sirius has betrayed us. All of us._

_I can't believe I didn't see it earlier. How he was becoming so distant and cold to everyone; I was stupid and assumed he was simply disturbed by this war – who hasn't been? He took the Potters to the Dark Lord's altar and sacrificed his best friends._

_Strangely though, Harry is still alive._

_Don't ask me how, I have no idea! But my precious bundle of hope threw off a bloody AK, probably one of the most potent in the world. It backfired on the Dark Lord himself. From what I can discern from everyone's ramblings and rumours, Lily died protecting Harry. It certainly makes sense. She would have died for me, of all people, so of course she would defend her own child from all harm. A true Gryffindor, my Lily flower. And she's gone. Oh Merlin. My heart is breaking again. I didn't think I had a heart left to break. _

_James is gone. My funny, lively James. I just can't believe it._

_And Sirius, the man I thought I loved, the first man I've trusted since Dad and Aidan died, killed him. His own best friend._

_Thank the Goddess I took his son away. I love my baby darling, but right now, I would have killed him, just to prevent that traitor's blood to live through an innocent child._

_He is his father's son._

_And I pray to God he doesn't end up as lying, deceitful, and utterly Slytherin as either of his parent.s_

_Oh God, I'm alone again. I told James and Lily to use Sirius. Dammit, this is my fault._

_Just like Dad._

_Just like Aidan._

_Just like Caoihmin._

_Just like Sinead._

_Just like everyone else._

_It's my fault. My fault. MY FAULT.  
_

* * *

**Black Heart – **

**The time is right. Have a nice holiday in the Caribbean. I'm told the water is warm this time of year. Perfect for your canine companions, no?**

**That old man you love to taunt  
**

* * *

Ciara groaned and banged her head on the table. Nearly 2 weeks had passed since Sirius had arrived and had finally begun to feel a bit more at peace with the house's frightening stigma in her mind. Remus and Sirius had gone to the nearby town with Sirius under the guise of Polyjuice Potion, plus a few glamours to help. Now she just wished she had never read the damn thing.

With another groan, she banged her forehead on the table a bit more forcefully. She had only just gotten here and now she was being sent out again.

'What, may I ask, are you doing?' Ainaguar said as she entered the kitchen, carrying 2 shoe boxes.

'Restraining my desire to rip that disgustingly evil old man to shreds,' she growled without lifting her head.

Aina leaned over and plucked the letter from Ciara's hand to scan it quickly. Her eyes lit up in anticipation and she grinned. 'So we're headed to the Caribbean! What's the problem in that?'

Ciara rolled her head to its side to glare at her friend. 'We just got here,' she hissed, 'and suddenly, nooooo, we have to leave. It's rather obnoxious, tu crois?'

Ainaguar only grinned. 'I hope we get a place right on the beach. We can go swimming every day!'

Ciara rolled her eyes and sighed. 'You're hopeless, you water-logged whelp.'

Aina winked and placed the boxes on the table before Ciara. 'Either way, Mum said we had to go through these boxes and put them in some semblance of order.' She sat next to her friend and opened each of the boxes, dumping a great pile of photographs on the table. 'Plus, this exile'll be good for all of us. You know, get out of the atmosphere of increasing terror.'

Ciara looked at her incredulously. 'Did you, like, get a brain transplant or something? That was actually...intelligent.'

With a _fwack_ to the back of her head, Ciara turned to the photographs. 'How did we get so many of these?'

Aina didn't respond; she only began to sort each photo.

Ciara shrugged and picked up a random picture. At the first glance, she burst out in laughter. Ainaguar looked over at the amusement and began to chuckle, then escalated into full throated laughter. Both were giggling so much, they didn't hear Remus and Sirius's return.

'What's so funny?' Remus said as he leaned over to look at the photo. When he saw it, he only rolled his eyes.

Curiosity got the better of Sirius and he looked over Ciara's head to see a photograph of two snowmen, obviously charmed to look like bodybuilders, with the heads of Remus and Matt above them, both trying to look serious and intimidating. Sirius couldn't help but chuckle at their expressions.

'We took that when we went skiing in...when was that? '88?' Ciara asked, looking at Remus for confirmation.

'Yeah,' Remus replied, 'Breckenridge. That's when we got snowed in that time.'

'Oh, yeah!' Aina exclaimed, 'And you,' she pointed at Ciara, 'tried to move that damn table and kept slipping on your socks! God, I thought you would die of asphyxiation from laughing so hard...'

Ciara blew Aina a raspberry and turned to Sirius, who resembled Remus, the originator of the Polyjuice, but with extra glamours to ensure they weren't completely identical. 'Did you get that letter off to Harry, then?' she asked.

Sirius grinned like an idiot. 'That I did. Even bought his friend, Ron, a new owl. Merlin, Ci, you should see the kid! He could pass as Prongs' twin!' Sirius sat next to Ciara with a sigh. 'That boy's the son I never had,' he said, looking to the ceiling with a grin. He missed the frantic glances Remus and Ainaguar gave a stone-faced Ciara.

An awkward silence descended until Ciara picked up another photograph. 'Hey, look at this!' she exclaimed. 'It's from Carlos and Mai's wedding.'

Aina looked over and grinned. 'Isn't that just darling!' she said in a falsely sweet voice. Sirius and Remus bent over to see the picture of a tall, brooding man who looked fiercely angry at the festivities.

'Aw, it's sweet little Reid,' Remus said with contempt. 'Why is there a picture of him in here?'

Aina glared over her shoulder at her mate. 'Just because you can't stand him doesn't make him any less one of the Pack, and you know that.'

Remus growled faintly and scowled. 'Says you,' he snipped.

Ciara rolled her eyes. 'Stop it, you two,' she said, putting the picture on top of one of the piles.

The photo underneath caught Sirius's attention, and he picked it up. It was a Muggle photo of Ciara sitting on a bench in a garden, surrounded by lush bushes. She wore a gown of light buttery yellow silk that clung in all the necessary areas with a robe of yellow gauze over it. She was looking off to the side, smiling sadly at something beyond the frame, her chocolate curls piled atop her head in the style of the Greek goddesses. At her throat glittered a bejewelled necklace Sirius faintly remembered as having belonged to her grandmother. She was calm and composed, the epitome of noble finesse.

It was indescribably beautiful.

Ciara looked at the picture he held and smiled. 'I don't see what you like in that picture,' she said nonchalantly. 'Those bridesmaids gowns were terrible.'

'And YELLOW!' Aina said, not bothering to hide her disgust of the colour.

Sirius just shook his head, not depending on his voice to work.

'Hey look at this one!' Aina exclaimed. Ciara and Remus turned their attention to Aina's find as Sirius slipped the photo of Ciara into his pocket.

Two hours flew by as the three friends told of their various exploits over the past decade. Tales of skiing and university banquets and Remus' seemingly endless line of photography projects from University had everyone feeling much more at ease. It was as if Sirius had been with them for every adventure as his eyes lit up in laughter.

As the piles grew, the stories slowed down. Mel had come in bustling with dinner preparations, waving away Ciara and Aina's attempts to help, saying they should 'finish what they had started'.

A strange face caught Sirius' attention and he pulled out a photograph, which Aina quickly began to try to snatch away from him. With a laugh, he asked why he couldn't see it. Ainaguar blushed and tried to grab it again.

Remus greyed when he caught sight of the picture, and looked sharply to Ciara, who was trying to get a glimpse.

Sirius pulled away from Ainaguar and looked at the picture. It was a very recent picture, obviously Christmas from the large twinkling pine in the background. Ciara was smiling, seated at a chair. Behind her with his hands on her shoulders was a boy, no more than 13, who looked-

_Just like me. _Ice filled Sirius's chest as he recognised the boy's features for his own. The same eyes, the same nose, the same hair, but his ears... and his chin...they looked like Ciara's brother Aidan. And that grin was eerily reminiscent of any of the Bryants, the same cocky half-smile that hinted at the family's infamous mischievous cynicism.

'Who is this?' Sirius asked coldly. He looked sharply at Ciara, who refused to look up from the table, then to Aina, who glared stonily, and Remus, who had turned red.

'It's just another wolf,' Remus said. 'Just some kid we found.'

'He's no one, Sirius,' Mel said from the other side of the kitchen. 'Don't worry about him.'

'What's his name?' Sirius demanded harshly. _How stupid do they think I am?_

'Anthony,' Ciara said from the table. Aina moved to hit her, but she grabbed her wrist before she could strike.

'Ciara...' Remus growled in warning.

'Stay out of this, Jack,' Ciara snapped, shoving herself to her feet. 'This isn't your business anymore! It's mine and Sirius'.'

'Who is he, Ciara?' Sirius said, his voice as frozen as if Dementors had walked into the room.

Ciara tilted her head in defiance. 'Anthony, our son.'

Sirius felt as if he had been punched in the stomach. He paled and collapsed into a chair. He was a _father_. He had a _son._ A son he'd never even known about...because _she _had never told him. Anger quickly filled him and he glared at Ciara, who flinched.

'Why the hell did you never tell me?' he snarled.

Ciara said nothing before she left the room stiffly. Ainaguar glared harshly at Sirus and hissed, 'You better get ready, Black. Seregwen's coming and she knows what you just said to her.'

Sirius's retort was cut off by the cellar door slamming open. The tiny vampire stalked into the room, making Mel and Remus back away quickly. Ainaguar only nodded an acknowledgement to her master. Sirius couldn't help but swallow nervously as Seregwen stared back at him, her familiar face a mask of vampiric power.

'What did you say?' Her voice was the softest of whispers, yet it echoed in his head, carrying the promise of death and darker things.

'W-what?' Sirius stammered.

'September 23, 1979,' she whispered. The kitchen melted before Sirius's eyes, replaced by the hazy outlines of barstools. He sat at the bar with a pint in a hand that was both his and yet not. James was seated at his side, telling him to stop drinking so much and to stop harassing the barmaid. Ciara entered, barely visible through the layers of smoke. He tried to turn away, to avoid that fatal confrontation, but he could not. He could only look on as he told Ciara, his voice dripping with contempt, that he could never stay with a "vampire's whore." He could only watch as he ripped out her heart and left it bleeding on the barroom floor. Without a word, Ciara turned towards the door. As he watched her walk out of his life for the last time, a voice whispered inside his head, 'She bears your child...'

Sirius's vision snapped back to the kitchen. He slid to the floor and buried his head in his hands, whispering over and over, 'I didn't know...' Seregwen stepped forward, and Sirius rolled his eyes up to meet hers. The vampire's eyes glowed with a cold fire, pupils drowned in a blaze of silver. In a flash too fast for human eyes to follow, she pulled him to his feet and pressed her fangs against his neck.

'I can feel your pulse,' she said in a low, almost growling voice. 'It beats as fast as a bird's. How I would love to sink my teeth into you, to taste your blood, to drain every last drop of life from you veins...' She pressed her fangs harder against his neck until the flesh around them turned white. 'I could kill you...' she growled. She pulled back and let him go. 'But I won't, because you belong to her. But if you value your life, remember that _she_ belongs to _me_.'

With a muted _pop!_ she Disapparated away.

As if nothing had happened, Ainaguar, Remus, and Mel returned to their previous activities, ignoring Sirius, who was taking deep breaths to calm his erratic heartbeat.

'I would probably go clear things up with Ciara,' Remus muttered to his friend before sitting next to his mate to finish sorting the pictures.

Sirius dumbly lurched to his feet and left the kitchen.

'Well, that was interesting,' Matt said from the door to the cellar, a few drops of blood escaping from his newest bite. 'What'd I miss?'

Ainaguar growled without looking up, and Matt raised his hands in surrender.

'Jesus...forget I asked.'

* * *

Sirius hesitantly knocked on the door to Ciara's bathroom, hoping she wouldn't hear it and he could walk away.

'It's open,' he heard her call out. Her voice seemed wearier than he had ever heard it. Reminding himself that he was a Gryffindor, he gathered his courage and entered.

When he saw what was inside, he choked. Ciara had drawn a bath and now lay submerged in a mountain of bubbles. The only lights came from the numerous candles surrounding the rim, casting the room in a dark glow. Ciara's head was thrown back onto a pillow with her hair piled on top of her head, allowing her to stretch out in the water.

When she heard nothing, she opened her eyes and turned to see who was there. She caught Sirius' gaze and blushed furiously but didn't look away; she refused to allow him to embarrass her about her own body. 'I thought you were Sere,' she said steadily.

Sirius opened his mouth to respond, but no sound came out. His mouth had dried and his throat had closed, betraying him to making only stuttering noises.

Ciara resisted the urge to roll her eyes at his reaction – _I can't help it if I'm gorgeous, _she thought with an internal grin. 'Look, I was going to apologise for not telling you about Anthony,' she muttered. Her pride was taking a serious blow for this... 'I should have told you that night, anyways.'

Sirius swallowed nervously and stammered, 'I sh-sh-shouldn't have told you o-o-off like that...' He ran a hand through his hair nervously.

Ciara shook her head as she rolled her eyes. 'It was nearly 15 years ago, Sirius. I've slept, eaten, and had migraines since then.' She looked over to gauge his reaction. He was stupefied. 'It was an eternity ago, Sirius,' she said softly, sitting up slightly. She may not have noticed when the bubbles stopped covering her breasts, but Sirius did. She was, in a word, perfect.

'I-I-I should go,' Sirius said quickly, turning to leave before anything else could happen.

'Wait!' Ciara said, blushing at her own daring. 'Sirius, I'm sorry I never told you about Anthony. I...There was no excuse.' She hung her head as what she had held back from him hit her. 'I knew you were pissed that night and I left anyways. I should have stayed with you.'

Sirius held the doorknob in a death grip as heat rushed all over him. He knew he was in trouble when she stood up, the residue of the bubbles slipping off her body.

'Please, Sirius...' she pleaded. 'I need you to forgive me for that...' She reached a hand out to him.

Sirius leaned his forehead on the door and tried to control his breathing. She hadn't aged a day since he had last seen her, not anywhere on her. Her skin was just as youthful as a 20-year-olds. He felt something in him stir as he heard water sloshing. A second later, a heated wet hand stroked his cheek. He started to look, but quickly stopped. He wasn't all that sure about his ability to control himself.

'Don't worry about yourself,' she murmured in his ear, making him shudder in anticipation. The hand caressed his face, turning it to face her. Her face was grim but there was a light in her eyes that he had sorely missed.

'I was serious when I said that I'd never forgotten you,' she whispered before stretching up to kiss him gently.

With a growl, he pulled her as close as he could, his hands absorbing the warmth and love she offered so freely.

* * *

In the kitchen, Ainaguar and the newly-appeared Seregwen looked at each other as warmth flooded their bond with Ciara. They both rolled their eyes and the same thoughts ran through their heads.

_About time someone around here got laid..._


	4. Part 4

**_Hey old man _****_–_******

**_ Sometimes I really really really reeeeeeaaaaaaaally hate you._**

**_ Your little IBH _****_–_****_ slan_****__**

****

**_Hullo darling child mine,_**

**_ I'm sorry for not writing as soon as you arrived home for summer; I've been occupied again. Argh. Anyways, Jack has told me all about your adventures over the past school year. I must say, for a Ravenclaw, you've turned into quite the demon child._**

**_ This letter, unfortunately, has a more sinister and dastardly purpose than just a letter from a mother to her son. I've decided in light of recent discoveries to answer that question you have been nagging me about since you turned 4._**

**_ Do you remember the story you always wanted to hear over and over again as a child? The one that Jack always told about your father and his magic map? Speak the words to activate the map and tap your letter._**

I solemnly swear I am up to no good.

**_ Your father is alive. He is safe with me and the Pack. I know you must either by upset or furious or both at me and I don't blame you. But there is something you have got to understand. Until 3 weeks ago, I was under the impression that your father was a Death Eater of the worst sort. I have seen proof otherwise as well have been assured by Jack that it was a setup, and he is currently in hiding, for you see, the Ministry, those pig-headed twats, still think he is evil._**

**_ Yes, love, your father is Sirius Black._**

**_ But you MUST believe me when I say that he is innocent of all crimes. I can't explain everything now, I haven't the time, but I will eventually. _**

**_ He will probably write to you relatively soon. He too has only just learned of your existence yesterday, and he was shocked, to say the least. But I can tell you now, from the second your father saw your picture, he loved you._**

**_ I can't tell you more now, I'm sorry._**

**_ Deactivate this now, please, love._**

Mischief Managed.

**_ We leave again for the Western hemisphere tomorrow evening. Baby, I am so mad I didn't get to see you. Therefore, tell your Aunt Emma that I will meet you at the Leaky Cauldron at 10 in the morning promptly._**

**_ Oh, and do you know Harry Potter? Jack has told me about the current situation. Can you believe that poor boy has an escaped convict for a godfather? He must be lonely right now. Why don't you do the extra nice, brotherly thing in dropping him a line or two? I'm sure he wouldn't mind._**

**_ Until then,_**

**_ All love and Adoration,_**

**_ Mum_**

The fireplace in the Leaky Cauldron exploded in green flames at 10 o'clock on the dot, not surprising any of the usual crowd, and a young boy emerged. He wasn't very tall, obviously having not hit his teenage growth spurt, and his limbs were lanky and awkward. His face, however, bespoke a future handsomeness to make women swoon at his feet, with his roguish black hair and penetrating grey eyes.

'Anthony,' a quiet voice said from in front of him. The boy looked up and came face-to-face with a black cowl charmed as to hide the wearer's idenity.

Anthony smiled widely. 'Dia duit, Mam,' he murmured, brushing off the soot from his collared shirt.

'Come with me,' was the only reply he received. The routine was familiar. For some reason, his mother never wanted to be seen by any others, so they never stayed in the tavern for long. Usually, they browsed through stores, never staying in one place for long, making the occasional purchase. But to-day was different. Anthony followed the black cloak up the stairs to a private room. Once inside, his mother closed the door behind him and cast some obscure locking and silencing charms on it.

'Padfoot?' she said quietly, pulling down her cowl. There was a creak behind him and Anthony jumped. A large black dog that looked severely malnourished had crept up behind him, staring at him with hungry grey eyes. In front of his amazed eyes, the dog shifted into Sirius Black.

He looked significantly better than in his wanted posters. He had filled out a bit, including stubble along his jaw, and his hair had been cut to his shoulders, significantly cleaner than it had been. He wore sagging robes that he recognised as having belonged to his godfather Moony.

Sirius couldn't move in his shock. This boy standing in front of him was his _son_. _His_ son. The child he thought he would never have was standing in front of him, staring back at him.

Ciara looked back and forth between her son and her lover, curious as to their reactions. They just…stared. Sirius was in shock, she could tell by his almost suspicious gaze. Anthony looked almost angry, which confused her. He had no reason to be angry with his father…

Anthony fought with the desire to tremble in fear of the man before him. Fortunately for him, his mother had taught him quickly that indifference was the best way to fight your fear. 'You can't argue with indifference,' she had often told him as a child.

Sirius fought with the desire to reach out and touch Anthony, to ensure that he was indeed flesh and blood, not some cooked up fantasy of his. After a moment, he reached up and put a hand on his son's – _his son!_ – shoulder. Anthony shuddered, flooding Sirius with guilt. His touch was repulsive to his child.

Ciara's brows furrowed as Anthony flinched at the contact. 'You don't have to be afraid of him, baby,' she said.

Anthony swallowed nervously. 'It's kind of hard not to be terrified of your childhood boggart,' he replied.

Sirius looked stricken and ill at Anthony's admission. He remembered the fear he felt of his father and how that fear turned to hate. He wanted to be a good father, not a copy of his father.

Anthony cocked an eyebrow, his resemblance to Ciara striking in that moment. 'Merlin, Dad, take a joke,' he said, his face lighting up with an impish grin.

There was an explosion in Sirius's chest and he finally understood the dopey grin James had worn in the months following Harry's birth.

'Padfoot?' Ciara's voice broke into his reverie. 'Y'ok? You're beginning to look as insane as all your wanted posters.'

Sirius looked at her, and he realised he was grinning like an idiot, the first real true smile in years. 'Belt it, Bryant,' he said, the joy in his voice taking the sting out of his words. 'My boy just called me Dad.'

Ciara smiled gently in understanding.

'Hey, Dad?' Anthony said. The warmth filled Sirius's heart again. 'I've wanted to know for years – did you and Prongs _really_ humiliate Snape after you had all sat your OWLs?'

Sirius burst out in laughter and Ciara rolled her eyes in amusement.

Two hours passed by like seconds as Sirius told Anthony stories of his school-age escapades and Anthony reciprocated with stories of his own mischief.

A tale of disturbing Potions class last year was interrupted in turn by a knock on the door. All three froze in horror, staring at the door like it was the Dark Lord himself.

'Time to go,' Aina's voice said through the door. Ciara sighed and sat up from her sprawled out position on the floor and reached over to grab her discarded cloak as Sirius stood and helped Anthony to his feet. Ciara pulled back a sleeve of her jumper and looked at her watch angrily.

'12 noon,' she growled. She always hated leaving her son as well as the circumstances that kept them apart. Damn her family…

Anthony smiled half-heartedly at his father. It was hard to believe they had only seen each other for two hours. 'I'm guessing I can't know where you're hiding,' he asked dryly.

'Nope,' Sirius replied, 'but do expect a barrage of letters.'

Anthony smiled. 'That'd be cool.'

'Oh, Tony?' Ciara interrupted. 'Be sure and write to Harry. That kid _has _to be lonely, living with Petunia and that…_Vernon_ character.'

Anthony's brows furrowed.

Ciara rolled her eyes. 'His aunt and uncle. Petunia's not that bad once you speak reason with her, but that Vernon's a brute.' She turned to pick up her wand, then looked over her shoulder. 'And yes, you can tell him I said that.'

Sirius placed a hand on Anthony's shoulder and looked him dead in the eyes. 'Be careful, son. The world's not as safe as it used to be. A lot of people will want to get their hands on you if they find out who you are.'

Anthony nodded gravely. 'I'll be fine, Dad. Uncle Aaron and Aunt Candace are probably more over-protective than you and Mum are.'

Ciara chuckled. 'Hence why I chose them to keep you,' she said. 'Now, love, I'll be here in a few weeks on business. If it's safe enough, we'll get your school shopping done. Deal?'

Anthony smiled. 'Deal.' He turned to Sirius. 'You coming too, Dad?'

Sirius swallowed hard and shook his head. 'I can't,' he said. 'It's too dangerous to come back.'

'Two words I never thought I'd hear out of your mouth, Black,' Ciara said with a smirk. '"Too dangerous".'

Sirius shook his head, his face grim. 'I can't risk it. For now,' he added with a wink at Anthony.

There was another knock, the all-clear signal from Joey, their Pack bodyguard. Ciara gave Anthony a brief, tight hug and a kiss on the forehead. 'Tá grá agam duit,' she murmured before proceeding to remove the silencing and locking charms.

Sirius hesitantly embraced his son, not really sure about how the boy felt about him. The tight grip on him allayed his fears. 'Be careful, Dad,' Anthony said into his shoulder. Sirius held him fast, then pulled back, reaching up to ruffle Anthony's hair. 'You too, son,' he said before turning into Padfoot and trotting up to the door. Ciara opened it, let Padfoot through, then said to Anthony, 'Tell your Aunt and Uncle hello from us.'

Anthony nodded and stood still as his parents swept from the room to the safety of their safehouse.

EPILOGUE – _2 weeks later_

'Hey man! Pass that over!' Matt said from his lounge chair on the deck of their beach house. Dumbledore had arranged for a secluded, warded house on the beach on the small island of Saint Barthelemy. It was large enough to accommodate the entire Pack, who had all jumped at the chance of a Caribbean vacation. Now, Matt, Remus, and Sirius were having 'male-bonding time', as they had told Jean and Mel, out on the deck with a few bottles of beer and genuine Cuban cigars, letting the warm July sun soak their skins chase the cold of the full moon only 2 days earlier.

Sirius complied with Matt's request and passed the box of cigars to him, letting him take one before putting it back.

'Aren't all of you going to that club tonight?' he asked.

'Hell yeah!' Matt said. 'A club with hot French chicks just _begging_ for a piece of Matt-flesh? Oh yeah, I'm going and I'm gonna be ready.'

'Yes, Matt…' Sirius and Remus replied monotonously as the man rambled on about how women were just clamouring for his attentions.

'Am I going?' Sirius asked, hoping against hope, that he'd be allowed out.

Remus frowned. 'It's still too soon,' he said. 'Your wanted posters are still out and there's rumour of a British cruise coming through tonight. Maybe next week, mate.'

'I'm not going,' came Ciara's voice from behind. She was wearing the blue bikini that Sirius loved seeing her in. Behind her came Aina in her swimsuit as well. Both carried towels and pulled over a lounge chair near the men.

'What're you two doing here?' Matt exclaimed. 'This is _male_-bonding time, not male and _female_-bonding time.'

'Anytime's male and female-bonding time,' Ciara retorted, sitting on her chair and stretching out to tan. 'Anyways, I'm not going tonight. I got my fill of nightclubs last week with Sere.'

The triumvirate had gone on a business trip to Austin, Texas for a week so that Sere could meet up with various other vampiric leaders ('A vampire convention. Whee,' had been Ciara's opinion on the matter.). Vampires were notoriously secretive and had insisted on meeting in great congregations of Muggles, therefore, the entire week had been spent in loud nightclubs and smoky bars.

'You going, Aina?' Matt asked.

Aina sighed and nodded. 'I can't turn up a chance to drink and dance like mad,' she said. Remus rolled his eyes at his mate's love of the public forum.

'Which means you're going to, eh, Remmy?' Matt said.

A positive grunt was his response.

'Well, Sirius, my friend, I'd say you were the lucky one,' Matt said, leaning back in his chair. 'Just you, a hot babe, no one around, a beach-' He was silenced with a 'Shut up, Matt,' from Ciara.

The companions lazed in silence for awhile, enjoying the sunshine so different from the drizzle of Britain. Sirius sank into his thoughts in the silence, remembering the past few weeks. It was insane. He had gone from a deranged escapee of the most notorious wizarding prison in Europe with nothing to his name and no one to go home to, to being a beach bum, still on the run, but looking good doing it, with a Pack of werewolves, a lover that most men would kill for, and a son and a godson of whom anyone would burst with pride over.

'Oy! Padfoot!' Aina's voice jolted him out of his thoughts. He looked over at Ciara, who was stroking a snowy white owl perched on the deck railing.

'Hedwig!' Sirius exclaimed, jumping out of his chair to retrieve the letter from the owl. Ciara offered her arm as a perch to Hedwig, who hooted and settled on it quickly.

'It's from Harry _and _Tony!' Sirius exclaimed as two pieces of parchment fell from the envelope. He handed the letter addressed to 'Mother Dearest' to Ciara, and eagerly began to read his.

**Hi Dad –**

** Summer's boring, what do you expect? That's probably a good thing. Look, I got a request for you. PLEASE try and come with Mum to visit. I know that both me and Harry would love it. PLUS the Quidditch World Cup's in Britain this year!! I know you'll have to at least get a glimpse. PLEASE?!?!**

** Until Then**

** Little Padfoot**

**P.S. Harry's going to add on to this first.**

_Dear Sirius,_

_ I'm assuming from the colourful birds that you're in some kind of paradise. At least, I hope you are. Little Padfoot told me that the Black Heart will be home before 1 September. I know it's probably too dangerous, but maybe you could come. I'm hoping you can. _

_ The Muggles are treating me OK; they're too terrified of you to do anything too terrible._

_ Harry_

Sirius chuckled and looked up at everyone else. 'My fan club is clamouring for my return.'

Ciara smiled gently. 'We'll see, Paddy. We'll see.'

* * *

**A/N:** There is an illustration for this chapter at my dA account (the link is in my profile). It's not very good, but meh. Maybe I'll make a better one sometime. ;)

Thanks for reading. Leave a review if you enjoyed it!

Future Plans (cause I have too much fun with these characters to let them die): Ciara's back-story

I don't know when I'll have it finished, but it should be relatively soon.


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